Editorial: Poo power? Just ignore the yuk factor

Britain spends £73m a year dealing with the 700,000 tonnes of noisome waste produced by our canine companions

The suggestion that dog muck – that blighter of pavements and polluter of parks – might be turned into clean, green energy to power Britain’s homes is surely the product of a child’s cheekily scatological imagination?

Apparently not. And for all the sniggering, the idea has serious potential. After all, Britain spends £73m a year dealing with the 700,000 tonnes of noisome waste produced by our canine companions. If it can be anaerobically digested into electricity-generating biogas (plus enough CO2 and fertiliser for a plantation of Christmas trees) so much the better.

Gary Downie certainly thinks so. Indeed, the former banker claims that his Streetkleen Bio system can process up to three tonnes of the stuff daily, powering 60 homes in the process. Never mind the yuck factor, focus on the economics, says Mr Downie. Well, it’s certainly worth a try...